


Learning to Fly, Letting Go of it All

by Brioux



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Kent Parson is oblivious, M/M, Mention of hockey injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 14:43:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8849038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brioux/pseuds/Brioux
Summary: Kent doesn’t notice anything is different for an embarrassing amount of time.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Yubell22](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yubell22/gifts).



> This is an AU where after you meet your soulmate for the first time, you can feel their physical pain as though it's your own.
> 
> For ittsybittsybunny who won my 1k fic giveaway over on Tumblr! I hope you enjoy it :)
> 
> Title from Zac Brown Band's Tomorrow Never Comes aka my favorite song of all time.

Kent doesn’t notice anything is different for an embarrassing amount of time.

The first game against the Falconers—against Jack—was an extremely physical game. Not just the scrum after Kent’s goal, where he got pummeled and then Mashkov had picked him up like a rag doll. The entire game was physical. Kent pushed himself harder than he had the entire season so far, and had taken plenty of hard hits. So it hadn’t concerned him when he woke up the next morning more sore than ever before.

Maybe it should have been a red flag when he continued to wake up every day more sore than he expected. And with pain in places he didn’t remember getting hit.

But realistically, Kent is a professional hockey player. It’s no surprise to anyone that he’s got a few aches and pains here and there. In his mind, it would be a problem if he didn’t have residual soreness each day. It would mean he’s not playing hard enough.

When he wakes up with pain on the inside of his foot it’s a little weird, but maybe he didn’t realize he blocked a shot in practice yesterday. When he wakes up with a stiff neck, like he’d been boarded pretty hard, he figures maybe he’d just slept a little funny on the foreign hotel mattress. When he gets a stabbing pain in his side during a flight he thinks maybe it’s because they had Mexican before they left Arizona, and he probably just has some gas or something. He’s not concerned.

But everything changes the day the Aces actually have a night off at home, and Kent is sitting in Swoops’s living room watching the Falconers play the Penguins.

Kent watches as Crosby continues to slash Mashkov’s wrists over and over (without getting called for it, because of course) and he can’t help feeling a little twinge of sympathy in his own wrists. But then Crosby takes another huge whack at him and Kent feels the pain like never before. It’s so intense, he’s immediately grabbing at it and crying out, his eyes going blurry at how bad it feels.

Swoops is to his side in an instant, but Kent can’t focus on anything but how the broadcast has zoomed in on Mashkov, bent over on the ice and holding his wrist in the exact same way Kent is.

So yeah, it turns out Mashkov—er, Alexei, is his soulmate. And it took him about four months and a season-ending broken wrist to realize it.

Kent doesn’t know how to get in contact with Alexei at first. Does he go through social media? Does he go through their organizations? Does he… does he dare contact Jack and ask for Alexei’s number? Even if he did manage to contact him, Kent isn’t sure what he would say. “Hey, I’m sorry about your pending surgery, and also by the way I’m your soulmate” doesn’t exactly seem like the best way to go about it.

Turns out, fate works in mysterious ways and gives Kent a wide open net when he needs it the most, all Kent needs to do is shoot. Alexei is going to have his surgery done by a specialist in Las Vegas. The same specialist Kent has been seeing all season for the stress fracture in his shin.

He doesn’t notice Alexei in the waiting room at first, and then when he does he’s too chicken shit to say something. But he can’t let the opportunity pass. Not when it’s unlikely he’ll ever get a better opportunity than this.

“I’m sorry about your hand,” he says, sitting down and startling Alexei, who’s clearly been doing his best to remain anonymous based on the low-pulled cap and closed-off body language.

“Kent Parson,” Alexei says, making shivers go down Kent’s spine. If he didn’t already know Alexei is his soulmate, he would now, just based on how his voice speaks to Kent’s soul. “Thank you for kind words.”

Kent nods.

“Are you staying in Vegas long?” he asks.

“A little,” Alexei answers. “Have surgery tomorrow and they want me to stay for a week.”

Kent is quiet long enough for the situation to almost get awkward. But before it does, he surprises both of them by offering up the spare room in his apartment for the week.

“Recovering from surgery in a hotel room can’t possibly be a good idea,” he explains with a small shrug, responding to Alexei’s raised eyebrow.

Alexei studies him for a moment and Kent feels like he’s being put under a microscope. He can practically see Alexei questioning why he would offering up his home for someone he’s never really talked to. Alexei must accept what he sees, though, because he nods a little and gives a little smile.

“Thank you, Kent Parson,” he says.

“Just Kent is fine,” Kent says with a smile.

“Okay, Just Kent.”

Kent lets out a laugh—a real laugh, one of the ones he hasn’t let out in such a long time. It was a stupid joke, but Kent can’t help it. Alexei winks at him and Kent feels himself flush a little. He wonders if Alexei knows that they’re soulmates, or if this is just how he normally is. Of course, Kent doesn’t get the chance to find out right away because a nurse comes out and softly calls for Alexei to come back.

“I’m take cab here. Can wait for you when I’m done?” he asks.

“Sure,” Kent says. “We can swing by your hotel room after so you can get your stuff and check out.”

Kent’s head is swarming through his own appointment, not at all helped by the fact that the doctor poked and prodded at Alexei’s broken hand maybe a little bit too much. But he’s given a positive review, and the clearance to increase his off-ice work outs, as long as he continues with therapy.

“How’d it go?” Kent asks as he and Alexei slide into his Range Rover.

“What I expected,” Alexei says with a shrug. “They look at x-rays, see how I can move it, and tell me how surgery will go.”

“How long do they think recovery will be?”

“They think about four months,” Alexei says.

It makes Kent’s stomach sink. Of course, he knew Alexei’s season was over. Everyone knew the second they announced he was going to need surgery. But hearing exactly how long puts it into perspective for Kent. Four whole months until Alexei will be able to play again.

“What about you?” Alexei asks, gesturing to Kent as Kent starts driving towards Alexei’s hotel. “Why you seeing bone specialist?”

“I have a stress fracture in my shin,” Kent admits.

He probably shouldn’t be giving an opposing player this much information so easily, even if Alexei isn’t going to actually be playing against him the rest of this season. But it’s almost second nature to answer Alexei’s questions honestly. He feels safe in a way that Kent has never felt before outside of his mother and sister.

“Is bad?” Alexei asks, his eyebrows pinched in concern.

Kent shakes his head. It’s not good, but he’s not lying by saying it’s not bad, either.

They’re both a little quiet for the rest of the short drive, Alexei taking in the rise and fall of the buildings around them. It’s not awkward, per say, but Kent is still relieved when they pull up to Alexei’s hotel.

“Will be right back,” Alexei says, unbuckling himself.

“I can help?” Kent offers. He’s not sure if Alexei should be packing and carrying his own bags with his wrist right now.

“Is probably not best idea,” Alexei responds, giving him a little smirk. “What people think if they see Kent Parson come to hotel room with me?”

Kent blushes and Alexei laughs a bit at him before jumping out of the car. He stays put, though. Because as nice as it is to think about being alone in a hotel room with his soulmate, Kent isn’t sure he wants the public to catch wind of it.

Alexei’s surgery goes well the next day. Kent drops him off at the hospital in the morning and fortunately the Aces aren’t playing that evening, so he’s there to pick Alexei up after practice. Kent has to grimace through the entire surgery, but he’s eternally grateful for when Alexei wakes up and they finally give him medication for the pain.

The rest of the week goes by mostly uneventful. Alexei goes in for check ups and spends a lot of time snuggling Kit, who’s apparently adopted him as her new owner. Kent goes to practices and games and makes sure there’s enough food in the apartment that’s easy to make and eat one-handed.

On game nights Alexei finds something else to do that doesn’t involve hockey, and on nights off they spend hours talking to each other, getting to know one another. Well, Alexei talks. A lot. And Kent asks questions and listens, without offering up much about himself. It’s not a slight or anything on Alexei, Kent just isn’t the sharing type of person. It’s hard for him to open up to anyone. But especially when a lot of his insecurities and issues started with one of Alexei’s teammates.

And that… that’s a whole other situation Kent doesn’t know how to handle. He’s so fucked up, so beaten and broken from everything that’s happened to him. His therapist tells him he’s a good person, but he still has a hard time believing so many people would run away from him if he was really a good person. His dad, his stepdad, all his friends from when he was younger. And Jack. Jack, who’s the NHL’s new darling. Jack, who’s Alexei’s teammate and close friend. And isn’t that just a little bit fucked up.

It’s just hard to believe someone as sweet and kind as Alexei will be okay with having someone like Kent as his soulmate.

For his part, though, Alexei does try to ask questions. He tries to get to know Kent a little more. And Kent tries to answer them. The simple questions are easy, Kent could talk about his mom and sister for days. But when Alexei starts asking about what he wants in the future, something inside Kent shuts down. He can’t even think about the future, how would he talk about it?

The night before Alexei is set to return to Providence, he drops a bomb on Kent. They’re sitting on the couch after Kent’s win over Edmonton, discussing the Aces’ upcoming road trip, when he pauses.

“Are we going to talk about being soulmates?” he asks. Kent’s heart stops and he audibly gasps. “You do know, yes?”

“Yeah,” Kent admits softly. “Yeah, I know.”

Alexei bites his lip and nods, looking at Kent with the most intense stare. Kent looks down at his hands, he doesn’t know what to say.

“You are… not wanting this?” Alexei asks, his voice timid.

Kent’s head snaps up and he barely has time to register the hurt expression on Alexei’s face before there are words spilling from his mouth.

“Of course I do,” he says. “God, you’re—you’re amazing. You’re so kind and sweet and caring and talented and sexy as hell. I just—I’m fucked up…” Alexei’s forehead scrunches so Kent keeps going. “I’m a fucking mess. I take good care of my cat but most of the time I forget to feed myself. I constantly make decisions I don’t think are bad, but everyone else does. I think right now my apartment is the cleanest it’s been since I moved in, and that’s only because you’re here. And at the end of the day, everyone always leaves no matter what I do. Everyone always finds something they can’t live with, and moves on.”

Kent stops to take a shaky breath and realizes he’s just divulged more information about himself in the past minute than he’s said all week. It hits him like a freight train, that he just spilled everything he feels about himself and given Alexei an easy way to crush him. But Kent’s come this far already, he might as well soldier on and finish what he’s thinking.

“Of course I want to be your soulmate. Who wouldn’t want that? I just don’t know why you’d want to be mine.”

Alexei meets his eyes and Kent can see the hurt behind them. He immediately knows he’s fucked up once again. He’s said the wrong thing, or something. And this time, it won’t just be some random person walking away, it’ll be his soulmate. The person who’s supposed to be meant for him. Why does he have to fuck everything up all the time?

“Kenny,” Alexei says softly, scooting closer to him on the couch. “If you want me… I’m never leave.”

Kent’s confused. Surely Alexei doesn’t mean that. He barely knows Kent, has barely had time to see just how dumb and reckless and worthless Kent can be.

“I’m think you are wonderful person, Kent Parson,” Alexei says. “I’m think you have giant heart, care a lot about family and friends. Maybe you not know how to care for yourself that way, but that’s okay. That’s why you have soulmate. To take care of you.”

Kent bites his lip. He’s not going to cry. He’s not going to cry. He. Is. Not. Going. To. Cry.

“I can take care of you, Kent Parson,” Alexei almsot whispers. “If you let me.”

Kent sniffles and, fuck, here come the tears. Alexei reaches over with his good hand to wipe them away with his thumb and Kent doesn’t know what he did to deserve someone like this as his soulmate, but he doesn’t want Alexei to ever go away.

“Will you let me take care of you, my Kenny?”

Kent doesn’t know how to speak, but he nods. He never thought he would get this and yet here Alexei is, offering him everything. Alexei’s hand moves down and slides into Kent’s and it’s so big, so warm and so soft. He’s gentle with Kent’s fingers and Kent sniffles before scooting closer to Alexei and burying his face in Alexei’s neck.

Alexei wraps both arms around his body and there, safe in his soulmate’s embrace, Kent Parson takes the easiest breath he’s ever taken in his life.

How did he get so lucky?


End file.
